Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Echoes in the Dark
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“Why are you doing that?”
“What on earth is going on?”
Enoch’s expression hardened. He checked the map and opened his mouth.
“This place corresponds to the position of the Pentagram.”
“Captain, so what about the Pentagram?”
“You don’t know? The Demon King Summoning Circle.”
“What does that have to do with this—ah!”
Solla gave a simple explanation to Mikeli, who hadn’t caught on right away. At the words “Demon King Summoning Circle,” Mikeli blinked before letting out a gasp of realization.
“No way, you’re saying this is right on top of the Demon King Summoning Circle?”
Rachel nodded silently. On the map, the lines forming the star pierced through the Hanie Barony.
After staring at the map for a long while, Rachel spoke a hypothesis in a solemn voice.
“Maybe the fire was the black sorcerer’s doing from the start.”
“But that’s strange.”
“Yes, it is strange. The Crown Prince visited this place and didn’t mention anything unusual besides the fire.”
Was the record wrong? Or had the Crown Prince who visited the Hanie Barony simply not noticed anything odd?
Either way, it was a serious issue. No matter how remote, failing to detect abnormalities in a specific territory for nearly a year was inexcusable.
“It’s not just a lack of intelligence—it’s as if it was being blocked.”
“With it being a tax-exempt region, you’d think they’d pay extra attention. What were the inspectors dispatched from the capital doing?”
Rachel muttered, biting her nail.
“Negligence on the job? It’s possible. The previous administrators were notoriously lax.”
At her mumbling, Enoch carefully took hold of Rachel’s hand.
Startled by the sudden grip, Rachel looked up at him. He gently pried her finger away from her lips.
“Rachel, you don’t need to think about work right now.”
The stinging thumb no longer hurt. The divine power dwelling in her had taken effect.
“Ah, sorry. This situation just doesn’t make sense to me.”
“I feel the same. But how about we warm up, restore our stamina, and then search the castle?”
“You’re right! Who can think straight when they’re starving and freezing?”
“We have to search this castle because of the black sorcerer’s traces. We might find something.”
Enoch, Mikeli, and Dona encouraged Rachel.
“My hands are numb.”
The gloves she’d removed when finding the map were right next to her bag. She reached for them, but Enoch didn’t let go of her hand.
“I’ll lend you my hand until yours warms up.”
She didn’t refuse his offer to use his hand like a hand warmer.
“Enoch, your hands are so warm.”
“I’ve heard that men’s body temperature is higher than women’s.”
He gave a sincere answer even to something that didn’t need one. Thanks to that, Rachel could manage a small smile.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yes.”
As they lit the fireplace, a gentle warmth began to fill the room. Once it grew cozy, the group bustled about preparing their meal.
“Dried meat soup again today.”
The soup, made by dumping preserved rations and jerky into boiling water, tasted bad but was good for conserving energy. Especially on a freezing winter day like this.
Rachel tried to stand from her seat. Enoch rose with her.
“I’m just going to check the window for a moment.”
As Rachel approached the window, Enoch moved with her. The darkness outside was too thick to see the landscape.
She tried to open the window, but like the castle entrance, it wouldn’t budge.
“It won’t open, as expected.”
“Once we purify the source of the evil, it should.”
“I suppose so.”
This was different from the original story. Back then, only Enoch could use divine power, but now there were six of them.
Plus, her own body held the divine power bestowed by the Pope.
“I’ll leave the door open.”
Instead of the unyielding window, Rachel left the room’s door ajar.
Cold air would flow in from the corridor, but it would prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
She poked her head out through the open door. The corridor was dark and silent.
“What happened in this castle?”
“Nothing good. There’s stronger evil lingering here than in the mansion you lived in, Rachel.”
Enoch seemed worried that he’d brought Rachel into this castle with him.
“Enoch, you don’t like that I came in here?”
“Yes.”
The answer came quickly.
“It looks dangerous at a glance. I’m afraid it’ll add another death to your memories, Rachel.”
If not for the cold outside, he added, he would have split the party and left her outside.
“But I can’t restrain your actions based on my personal judgment.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re hardworking, Rachel. You never hesitate to throw yourself into danger to find a solution.”
At Enoch’s assessment, Rachel’s eyes widened in surprise. The self she imagined wasn’t as brave as he described.
She avoided danger whenever possible. She’d only forced her way through crises after failing to evade them.
“Who are you talking about?”
“You, of course. Even if I stopped you, you’d step up yourself to solve the problem, right?”
Rachel tilted her head. Would she really have?
If asked to wait outside because the castle was dangerous, would she have refused?
She felt uncertain. She might have entered to find clues about the black sorcerer’s traces.
But she might also have recoiled at the atmosphere similar to the house in the original story.
However, none of that had happened. Debating hypotheticals wouldn’t reveal what she truly would have done.
“I don’t know either.”
“I thought you’d actively enter this castle. But it doesn’t matter.”
“Why?”
Their polite speech, mindful of onlookers, had shifted to informal. Enoch lifted the corner of his mouth as he replied.
“Because I’ll follow wherever you go, Rachel.”
“But I’m human too—I can make mistakes. I might not know what you do.”
“I can offer advice if I truly think it’s dangerous. But I won’t block your choices or force your actions.”
“And yet you say we’re not dating.”
“Maybe to the captain, friends are the same as lovers?”
“We can hear you.”
Enoch shot a curt word at Solla and Mikeli, who were whispering while watching him and Rachel.
The two tossed back a few remarks about how, if he and Rachel weren’t lovers, then who was?
“I’ve heard that ordinary lovers separate easily over family matters, money, status, and such, even if they love each other. Our bond isn’t that flimsy.”
It was the first time Rachel and the group had heard such a response from Enoch. They blinked.
“Uh, um. Well, since lover relationships are more fragile than friendships, it makes sense to deny being that casual, right?”
Solla asked with an awkward expression. Enoch nodded.
“Yes. There are surely bonds where people truly love deeply and form a lifelong partnership. But until they become spouses, a lover’s bond can break at any time, so it’s not right to call Rachel and me that.”
“Our captain is even more oblivious than I thought!”
Solla made a fuss upon hearing Enoch’s reply.
Rachel was at a loss for words as she saw Enoch’s questioning gaze, as if asking what was wrong.
‘If he’s really curious, what on earth does “friend” mean in Enoch’s head?’
From what she heard, it seemed more precious than a lover.
‘Not all priests are like that...’
Watching Solla playfully punching Mikeli’s shoulder made her realize Enoch was unique.
Rachel let out a shallow sigh.
‘No way he thought like that in past loops too?’
She’d once been disappointed by his firm boundary of “just friends,” but knowing now it came from such thinking left her feeling bittersweet.
‘But it’s definitely not romantic love.’
Love came in many forms, but Rachel was certain Enoch’s feelings for her weren’t romantic.
‘If anything, it’s friendship.’
The kind of profound, loyal bond from ancient proverbs.
Even so, Rachel sometimes felt her heart flutter looking at Enoch’s face.
‘But that would be disrespectful to him. He might feel betrayed if he knew?’
So, Rachel would never confess to Enoch. Not until now, and not in the future.
Though Enoch wouldn’t force her, Rachel, knowing his thoughts, held back her feelings out of consideration for him.
“The soup’s boiling!”
At that moment, Pacie called out, clanging a ladle against the pot. The group warmed themselves with the soup.
Wind howled through the open door, perhaps from a window somewhere in the corridor, but no one shivered at that alone.
“When do we search?”
“It’d be best to purify as soon as possible, but since everyone’s exhausted, we’ll rest our eyes and start right after.”
Priests slept lightly and woke quickly.
‘We’ll search in four or five hours.’
The six excluding Rachel decided on rotating watches. The order: Solla, Pacie, Mikeli, Lekent, Dona, Enoch.
Rachel pulled out her sleeping bag and prepared her spot. Meanwhile, the others broke up furniture in the room for firewood.
Once ready, she lay down and fell asleep immediately.
***
She woke to a strange sensation.
Whoooosh—whoosh—
The wind seemed to circle her ears especially. Shivering from the cold seeping into her tightly wrapped sleeping bag, Rachel lifted her heavy eyelids.
“Huh?”
She wasn’t in her sleeping bag. She was on a bed.
“What?”
Rachel blinked.
“It’s dark.”
The fire in the fireplace she’d lit before sleeping had gone out. No, she couldn’t see well in the dark, but the location itself seemed different.
“Where is everyone?”
The group who’d slept right next to her, their sleeping bags pressed close, was gone.
She was alone in an unknown room.
A chill ran down Rachel’s spine.
“What’s going on? Enoch! Solla! Mikeli!”
She called their names. But no reply came.
“Dona! Pacie! Lekent! Is no one there?”
Instead of an answer, a sharp wind filled the room. Then, suddenly, came the sound of knocking on the door.
Thud thud thud! Thud thud thud thud!
Relieved that someone had heard her and come, she hurried toward the door but soon froze.
The knocking was too violent for mere rapping. And knocking without calling out to confirm her presence felt off.
‘This feels wrong.’
Focusing her mind, she saw dark red mana flowing in through the door.
Those with divine power saw mana as invisible or white light.
Meaning, the one behind the door wasn’t her group.
The knocking grew faster and louder.
The light thuds turned to heavy bangs.
‘I need to hide.’
Rachel quickly scanned the surroundings. It was too dark to see clearly. But she could make out the outlines of large furniture.
‘The wardrobe?’
Hiding in a wardrobe was a universal rule in horror games.
‘But this isn’t a game.’
Still, there was nowhere else to hide.
Rachel tiptoed silently to the wardrobe. Pulling the door, she found it filled with hanging clothes. She slipped between them and gently pulled the door closed behind her.
BANG!